Yukien Andrada showed up big when San Beda needed him the most in Game 3 of the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball semifinals against the College of St. Benilde at Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.
The Red Lions rode Andrada’s hot hands en route to an 84-81 win over the Blazers to punch their ticket to the NCAA Finals against longtime rival Letran.
Coach Yuri Escueta kept his game plan simple: give the ball to his graduating forward.
‘[I want to] give credit to CSB for making their shots but I really just trusted one guy and that’s Yukien Andrada,’ Escueta said.
‘Yuki is very unselfish. He’s a very unselfish guy. All season long, he allowed his teammates to feel their shots but when the lights are brighter, he’s ready to step up.’
Andrada finished with 27 points and four rebounds, including the haymakers, that kept the Blazers at bay.
When Benilde held a slim three-point advantage midway through the fourth quarter, it was Andrada who tied the game at 72-all with a big-time triple at the 6:33 mark of the payoff period.
The sixth overall pick in the 2025 PBA Draft also pushed the dagger into the Blazers’ hearts at the 3:23 mark of the fourth when he sank another long bomb that put San Beda ahead, 81-77.
Aside from Andrada, the returning Agjanti Miller also shone for San Beda with 26 points, six rebounds and two steals. He missed Game 2 of the semis due to a knee contusion. Bryan Sajonia added 10 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Tony Ynot scored 18 points on top of five rebounds and four assists for the Blazers. Raffy Celis added 14 while Ian Torres, who buried the buzzer-beating floater on Friday, tallied 12. Josh Cajucom chipped in 10.
Reigning NCAA MVP Allen Liwag recorded 10 points and eight rebounds in a losing effort. He now turns his attention to the Southeast Asian Games with Gilas Pilipinas in Thailand.
San Beda meets Letran in a best-of-three Finals showdown for the first time since 2019. Game 1 takes place on Wednesday at Araneta Coliseum.
The scores:
SAN BEDA 84 – Andrada 27, Miller 26, Sajonia 10, Gonzales 7, Puno 6, Celzo 4, Lina 4, Reyes 0, Etulle 0, Estacio 0, Songcuya 0
ST. BENILDE 81 – Ynot 18, Celis 14, Torres 12, Liwag 10, Cajucom 10, Ancheta 7, Umali 6, Sanchez 4, Morales 0, Gaspay 0, Cometa 0
Quarter scores: 21-26, 34-45, 59-64, 84-81